John 19:30 says, “When Jesus has received the sour wine, he said ‘it is finished’ and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.” The Greek word that we translate “it is finished” is “Tetelestai.” It means to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish. I love the way this word is described in an article in Christianity.com, it refers to this word saying, “it’s a crucial word because it signifies the end to a particular course of action. It’s the word you would use when you climb to the pick of Mount Everest. It’s the word you would use when you turn in your final copy of your dissertation. It’s the word you would use when you make the final payment on your new car. It’s the word you would use when you cross the finish line of your first 10k run. The word means just I survived. It means ‘I did exactly what I set out to do.’” Jesus’ death was not just an outcome, it was an accomplishment. It was not just something that happened to him, it was what he set out for, for he planned, and what worked toward. “It is finished” was not the cry of a weary man who could go no further, it was a shout of victory from the Son of God who has fulfilled his purpose and won his race. Jesus’ death accomplished something, it satisfied God’s wrath, it paid humanity’s debt, it removed sin’s grip, it offered forgiveness, redemption and restoration. Jesus’ death removed everything that could keep us from God, he paid what we owed, he forgave what we had done and he made a way for us to become what we were created to be. As the old song says, “Jesus paid it all.” In this week’s sermon, Pastor Abie Kulynych explores what it means to be “Alive” in Christ because of what He did for us.
“Alive,” Romans 6:1-11
